Whispering Smith Column published in the Littlehampton  Gazette March 26th 2015

BACK in the day I recall, it was Bognor who noisily bemoaned the fact that they were ignored while all around seemed to be getting first class attention from Arun and, during this time and for some time thereafter, Littlehampton kept pretty quiet the result of which our town and surrounding area is now treated like some vast housing site. Perhaps our silence was a mistake. While our town, especially our splendid open seafront, seems to be prime and very profitable housing land little thought appears to be going into the needs of the local folk and when those needs and desires are expressed too verbally it is put down to a lot of moaning from ‘old people’ who like their movies and resent any change. Now Bognor is getting, and some would say wasting, the Rolls Royce treatment while we look like being a set of old wheels rusting away on some used car lot. Another one of my mother’s sayings seems to be ringing true: ’it is the squeaky gate what gets the oil, son!’ With the ever growing threat to our seafront, cinema, swimming and sports centre and the sad departure of Waitrose being the latest blow to our town centre, I wonder if we should now be squeaking a lot more and a darned sight louder? After all, when Oxfam pull out you really do know you are in trouble!

I DO like to sit with a friend over coffee in the Contented Pig on a Friday morning and watch the world go by. Last week I saw a middle aged man going by on a skateboard with a dog on a lead in one hand and a carton of takeaway coffee in the other – not something you see every day.

A PERSONAL memo to the Higher Power: Sir or Madam, it was very murky over Littlehampton Friday last and although I arose early, dark clouds obscured the solar eclipse, I wonder, could you please run it by us again as I doubt many of us will be around for the next one and I would really like to try out the pin hole camera I made from and old shoe box and silver paper especially for the event. Thank you for your attention.